Man's Inhumanity
by IronicEnding
Summary: What is it that makes us human? Is it our memories? Is it our emotions? What happens when these are taken away from us? Can they ever be returned? Can such inhumanity be tolerated? Will one woman help a man regain the life he lost?
1. Who am I?

AN: Welcome everyone and thank you for checking out my next story. I will be honost. I had a lot of fun writing this series. For those of you who wanted more out of "Better Late Than Never", i have left a potential sequel open though i do not wish to pursue it now. If i do i may get bored with the storyline and thus the quality will fall. In the meantime please enjoy this. As you enjoy reading this bare in mind i enjoy reviews. :-) I hope you will find the time to let me know what you think. This story is an AU.

I do not own FF8 or the chars.

* * *

The room smelled like death. Or at least that's what the young man perceived the smell to be. But he couldn't be sure, having never experienced it first hand before, though he already had more than enough.

Ten years of his life were squandered away within the confines of his cell. For ten years, his world was bound by nothing more than four dank and dreary cement walls that offered no comfort of home. For ten years, his only companion was the sole TV that they allowed him to keep his sanity in check. For ten years he had no idea who 'they' were.

Perhaps the most tragic truth of all was the fact this particular prisoner was only twenty.

Maybe all boys were abducted from their lives with their families and processed in a similar manner. Maybe all boys were drugged daily to suppress their emotions. Maybe all boys were beaten on a consistent basis and forced to adopt military training as the only education that mattered. Perhaps all boys would never again get a glimpse at sunlight, merely a dimming light bulb to provide them illumination. Sadly, this boy did not know the answer. This was the only home he knew.

They were less than animals. Pond scum, whose life was granted by some mysterious force so long as they continue to entertain them. They were often thrust into battle forced to fight the other with the prospect of freedom lingering in their minds and thoughts only to be denied every time.

Those who failed were beaten. Those who won were beaten. There was no hope. No possibility of a better future. There was only the next fight, only the next torture session, only the next day to spend alone in their cell.

A figure huddled against itself upon the cold steel bed he was issued His arms were wrapped around his knees causing the paper-like clothing he wore to shuffle underneath. His ice-blue eyes, slightly obstructed by his chestnut brown hair, cast an emotionless glare at the blaring TV in front of him.

A scar was etched across his face and acted as a constant reminder of the purgatory he found himself within. The subjects were denied the right to imagine a Heaven and the blessing that suicide would allow as only then could they enter hell. Hell required him to feel. That basic human characteristic was denied to him thanks to the drugs that were regularly injected within him.

A slot in the door opened and the same gruel they were fed was thrust into the room. The boy who was trapped inside a man's body slowly made his way to eat the same filth he was always treated with. The vile food served as the only source of emotion they were allotted with a drug dose to follow and take effect only afterwards.

But today was different. No, sadly the food remained the same but a new twist to the routine he had set himself into had been set into place. Upon completion of his meal, the vents leaked gas as they always did. His figure slumped towards the floor and collapsed and while the room opened, two figures wearing doctors clothing entered the room.

The needle was pulled out from underneath their lab coats and thrust into his arm. Today the difference was one Squall would have never noticed. The doctor who gave him his injection had changed.

Instead of being carefully placed back upon his bed till he regained consciousness, his figure was dragged from the room and into the dark empty hallway by the strangers who led him back into a makeshift office.

The brunettes' clothing was roughly stripped from his body as he was dressed within new attire. His body was shoved into a stiff leather suitcase with little concern for the shape it took so long as it fit. With a nod, an unspoken agreement reached the two.

The youngest of the pair left the room with the suitcase in tow as the elder awaited the punishment that was sure to befall her. She sat at her desk and finished a letter that she had stared earlier while tears streaked down her face and joined her hands at the table. Sacrifices needed to be made. She was to be one of them.

Just as she finished her note, she reached under her desk and pulled out an oblong tablet she had been saving for some days now. No one had noticed its disappearance from the drug locker nearly a week ago. As she poured herself a glass of water, a lone figure dressed in a suit entered the room and was quickly followed by four armed guards clad in blue Galbadian armor.

"Doctor. It seems we have a little problem here now don't we?" The man's sick, suave, and sadistic voice asked.

"You'll never find him." She had to act strong in order to stall for more time Even the slightest delay could mean the difference between success and failure.

"You think you are so much better than us. You intend to use him for the same purpose we were." This man had no need to worry. There were plenty more where that specimen had come from.

"We will offer him a choice. That's more than you ever would." If only she could enrage him. She needed to throw him off his logical train of thought.

"He is already ours. He depends on us. We are all he and his kind know." Something was wrong. Resistance members did not converse.

"He is a person. We can help him remember that. Now you will see the very person you helped create will be the same to kill you. Ironic, isn't it?"

"I grow tired of these games. Guards!"

In a surprise twist, the soldiers did not aim their weapons at her, but instead slung them back over their shoulder. In its place stun guns were un-holstered from their sides. That could mean only one thing. Interrogation was at hand.

The elderly doctor ducked underneath the table and popped in the pill she had kept within the palm of her hand. This death was by far preferable to the alternative. Her demise was quick and painless. Those who found her scattered remains would have never guessed.

It was dark. The smell he was accustomed to for so long was now gone. His eyes quickly darted around in confusion as he could feel himself moving yet he knew he stood still. Had he finally died? It seemed God did answer prayers and it only took 9 years.

The container he was in fell to its side as he felt the pressure from what was now his top lesson. Slowly the package opened as light burst in and burned the sensation back into him. His eyelids were quickly shut closed to guard him from the feeling most took for granted as he was dragged out of his temporary transportation.

The world spun around him in a haze. The flurry of voices screeched into his ears as his mind was overloaded with sensations his body could not yet handle. The feel of new clothing upon his skin burned him as if the inside was coated with a slow acting acid.

But with a thud that echoed across, the light was reduced and the sounds muffled. A click signaled the room had been filled with artificial light as a lamp burned brightly overhead.

"Don't move." She removed a gun-like device from a bag she carried with her, except the barrel was replaced with an injection device. She detached a small vial from the area that would be the holster and loaded it within, granting him the chemical he despised though he could not live without it.

The struggle of emotions he fought before quickly vanished as a familiar numbness returned. His head darted forth as the confusion his mind fought with was now replaced with a blank slate of emotions.

In front of him stood a tall leggy blonde who wore a peach colored outfit that was outlined by her lab coat. Her glasses rested upon her nose as she watched with great interest as the item in front of her quickly rose to his feet and stood at attention.

"At ease soldier. We are not in Deling anymore." Her comments failed to create a reaction and allowed her to continue.

"As you can see, you are no longer at the institute anymore. My colleagues and I have gone to great lengths to rescue you. You are, in essence, free." The man stood quietly with not even the slightest inch of his body moving.

The specimen found himself face to face with one of his captors who watched him with great fascination. Her blond hair was worn up as a lone strand fell between the rims of the glasses.

"Item 0857 I presume?" He merely stood at attention with a look on his face that revealed nothing. His eyes were focused straight ahead at the nothingness present.

"You have your freedom 0857. On the table you will find sunglasses, leather gloves and the injector for the drug. You have enough to last a month at most. I suggest you ease yourself off of it. There is however, another alternative."

Still no response. It was as if he was lifeless inside.

"Revenge" Then a spark was ignited from within. The slightest signs that he existed quickly flashed through him as his body twitched before returning to his previous stoic stance.

"I see you have made your choice. Follow me 0857." The reports said he wasn't able to react unless ordered.

She guided him past the table towards a section in the floor that was forcibly removed. She climbed in unconcerned if the person followed. If he chooses to run none of this would matter. He would easily die within a week.

0857 grabbed the items on the table and quickly pocketed them. Whether he stayed or not, they would be needed to survive. Anything could be an asset at this point. His only choice was obvious. Revenge was a great motivator.

With the young blond leading the way, he found himself passing through various tunnels and passageways until they reached a set of double doors that appeared to be their destination.

"You will be watched. Suspicious movements will result in termination." She knew her threat carried little weight with this man. Far more had been done to him than she could possibly imagine.

She opened the door in front of them and entered the room as additional light burst through. The sunglasses had already proved their worth.

Inside he found a young woman with raven black hair sitting behind a table studying the maps that lay before her. Curious hazelnut eyes shot up at the guests who intruded upon her strategy session while a half-smile curled up upon her lips.

"I take it this is 0857?" His mind immediately transcribed the facts he could derive about her persona. Early twenties, cocky. Grew up in a rich environment. Often confident though has a constant need to prove herself. Most likely a common target for enemy organizations.

"Yes. He expressed an interest in seeking revenge." Ironically enough, he barely expressed anything.

"Good. You will be a valuable asset 0857. We could use someone of your skills here." She waited for a response forgetting who or what it was she was talking to.

"React 0857"

"Sir!"

"Good. My name is Rinoa by the way. State yours."

"0857"

"That's your identification. What's your name?"

"0857"

A sudden realization dawned upon her. "You don't remember do you? Your name from before you were taken. You don't remember anything?" He was a man who did not know his past. A stranger to his own life.

"No."

"I see. Don't move 0857. I need to check something." Rinoa stood up from behind her desk and approached the man who stood before her. 0857 sensed 7 rifles point in his direction. No matter, he already had a guaranteed exit plan should the need arise.

Rinoa violated his personal space as she stood less than a few feet away from him. She reached over with slender milky white arms and removed the glasses that masked his face to reveal the emotionless eyes beneath. That was all she needed to see as a smile grew upon her face.

"Let's call you Squall, because of your stormy blue eyes. Quistis here will show you to your room. You'll find a change of clothing there. I'm sorry but until you can be trusted 100, you will have someone accompany you everywhere."

She awaited him to say anything or even do anything having momentarily forgotten her command earlier.

"React 0857."

"Whatever." The unexpected phrase shocked her and forced her eyes to bulge as the single word reverberated within her mind. Her rosy lips pursed together to mouth the word slowly as Rinoa quickly forgot the others in the room.

"Ahem." The young blond snapped her leader back into reality.

"Quistis please show him to his quarters." With a curt nod the two exited the room.

A voice spoke up from the background from a man who stood there the entire time. "Is it the one?"

"It is. I'll handle him personally." She replied having retaken her seat.

"Can he be used? We may have to prepare for termination. He knows too much to simply let go." He sounded cold and calculating. The resistance must stand above everything else.

"Get out! I need to be alone for a bit." Rinoa did not sound as if she was willing to repeat herself.

The person behind her complied and left with the guards that were present. Protection here wasn't needed any longer. None of them knew just how useless their presence truly was.

'_Squall, it's you. It's really you. I never lost hope. I finally found you Squall.'_ Tears slowly escaped the prisons of her eyes as buried feelings reemerged once more. _'Dear Hyne, what did they do to you? Don't worry, I'm here now.'_

Whatever. A phrase that once meant 'I love you' between two children ten years ago.

* * *

I hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter. I bet you have a lot of questions floating about in your minds. Well send me a review. I love reading your comments questions and general reviews. Until i post the next chapter, and i hope i have proved myself to be a pretty consistent updater, take care. :-)  



	2. I Dreamed of You

AN: I am not sure if i mentioned this before, but this will be a crossover fiction. Expect to see elements of FF7 here. I am trying to do that part well and not make it seem like i threw in those characters because i couldn't think of names/personalities of my own chars.

Now then. Man, you guys are absolutely awesome. I can't believe I recieved so many reviews on the first chapter alone. I didn't realize you guys liked it that much! Thanks for all the encouragement, support, critique and comments!

Now I realize that there were many grammatical errors in the last chapter. Please keep in mind that I am more than qualified to edit grammatically (at least in an academic sense) but I don't bother because I write for fun only.

However, I have had three beta-readers to appease all of you. They are some of the nicest people I have met and meeting them are probably the greatest part about joining this sight.

They do excelent work. The errors were my fault. Places where a period was missing or something was my error as I accidently deleted it while fixing another edit they gave me. All other errors were merely things I missed.

So let me once again extend my thanks to all the people who beta-d this fiction, to the readres, and to the reviewers!

I absolutely loved writing this chapter. Of all the stories i have written for all the series I have dabbled in, this has got to be one of my favorites. I hope you guys will enjoy it as well. :-)

I do not own the chars of ff8 or ff7.

Now on with the fiction!

* * *

The sun burned brightly in the infinitely blue sky. The pure white clouds gathered around to offer the subjects below momentary relief from the blaze that beat down mercilessly upon them.

An orphanage looked as if it sprang up from the ground beneath, the sole building found in a vast pasture near the beach. The sanctuary bustled with liveliness as children ran around and played with one another as the innate joy they had was expressed with all of their might.

But the most exciting tales would be told by two children who snuck away from the crowd to play alone together in the meadow just beyond. Hand in hand they ran through the blooming flowers till they reached a spot that was no different from any other. They were surrounded on all sides by a vast array of blues, white and purples as each flower released its own exotic aroma.

The two children ran and ran until they could do so no more and fell down in their unremarkable spot huffing and puffing with glee. Soon only the slight breeze whistling through the meadow was the only sound that could be heard until a tiny cute voice of a girl, barely 8 years old, spoke up.

Her short raven black hair fell down to her shoulders and upon a baby blue outfit she had selected for this outing. This was a special day for any girl.

"My cousin Tifa says we're gonna get married someday." A prideful smile was plastered upon her face while two big brown eyes sparkled with innocence.

The young boy with steel blue eyes and chestnut brown hair buried his head in between his hands before falling over on his back. His gaze was locked upon the sky as he watched the clouds wave by. "Whatever."

His peaceful moment came to a crashing halt when Rinoa's hand slammed against his stomach and forced him back to an upright position. An angry scowl marred her face as her lips pursed together tightly. "You don't even know what that means Squall Leonhart!"

Boys could be so stupid sometimes.

Ok, all the time.

The young child did his best to force a look of annoyance to remain upon him, but an exasperated sigh was to follow. He fell back down to his comfortable position on the floor before speaking once more. "So?"

Were one word responses technically speaking? A young Squall certainly believed so.

"If you don't sit up right now I'll hit you again. And lower this time." One didn't need to be in puberty to know that getting hit there hurt no matter how young he was. Especially when the person doing the hitting was Rinoa. Squall silently promised himself he would never again use the expression 'hits like a girl' after one regrettably memorable encounter.

Young Squall needed no further encouragement as he quickly sat straight up with posture so perfect, it was previously thought impossible for children his age.

"So what's it mean Rin?"

Rinoa blushed furiously everytime he spoke that nickname for her. No one else was allowed to call her Rin. It was a special name only Squall used.

Rinoa's eyes quickly darted upwards as she brought a lone finger to tap against her chin. "Ummmm…. I don't really know either." Rinoa certainly wasn't shy. Their life in the orphanage was secluded to the world with no phones or television. It was their little get away from life.

"But I think its when two people like each other so much that they spend all their time together." That sounded about right. The people in the books her matron had who wanted go get married always tried to spend time together. And at night for some reason.

"So aren't we married right now then?" His face immediately froze with concern. Even though he did not fully comprehend the meaning of marriage, an innate fear that was genetically linked to all men somehow gained dominance in his mind.

A wack to the back of his head taught him at a young and tender age just who was the leader in any marriage "Not yet silly." That drained the worry from his face. "We have to do some stuff first." Only for it to return but a few moments later.

The words had great difficulty escaping his quivering mouth. "St..stu….stuff? What st—stuff?" No one said he would have to do anything weird today. He just wanted to play in the field with Rin, even if that meant the Matron would yell only at him again later.

Rinoa carefully ogled a lion-shaped ring that hung around a chain on Squall's neck. It was something she had her eyes on for a while now. "First you gotta get on one knee, say 'Will you marry me' and then give me your ring."

His ring? His ring? HIS RING? He would not stand for that. It was his favorite thing in the world. Now was the time for mankind to stand up to woman and show their unending resolve! "Um, I'm maybe not so sure I wanna get married if that's ok with you?"

Another wack to the back of the head answered that question. Squall sat down on both knees in front of Rinoa as if he were to beg forgiveness. He took off the necklace he wore with the ring strung around it and put it on Rin before saying half-heartedly "Will you marry me?"

"Um, Ok!" How was it possible to change one's mood so quickly? He saw the shining smile that out glowed the sun with its radiance. Perhaps giving up his ring for that wasn't such a terrible trade.

Who was he kidding? Squall was screwed and he knew it.

In an almost whining voice he continued, "So are we married now?"

"No. Now we both have to say 'I Do.'" Hyne, boys really didn't know anything. Squall was lucky to have someone like her to show him the ways of the world.

"I do what?" Why couldn't Rin just say what she meant? Why was he expected to just know and understand all these complicated things? It was no wonder he preferred to spend his time alone. Alone with Rin that is. Other people could take a flying leap.

"Just say I do. On the count of three, ok?" Both already knew who would do the counting.

"One. Two. Three!"

Together their tiny voices rang out in defiance to the calm of the land. "I do!"

Even Squall couldn't help but laugh at the silliness of it all. This whole event was just so absurd!

Questioningly he asked once more "Are we married now?"

Once again a furious blush rushed to little Rin's face as she tucked one foot behind the ankle of another. Her face tilted forward so much it was almost parallel to the ground while her puppy dog eyes kept shifting from the floor to Squall.

Such suspicious behavior did not go unnoticed. "I'm not gonna like this, am I?"

Her voice became high and squeaky as her nervousness overtook her. This was the big part about getting married. "Well um. You see We gotta. Um….to make everything final. WE have too…"

"Yes?" The little boy had no patience for this. Couldn't they just get it over with?

"We gotta kiss one another." She spoke so rapidly the words were barely distinguishable, except to the little horror-stricken boy in front of her.

"Me…? Kiss…? You…?" Today was suddenly a very bad day. "Eww gross! I'll get cooties! No way!" The ring was one thing. He knew it was safe with Rin. But no little boy wanted to die of cooties. That was for sure.

The tiny bundle of energy quickly darted away for dear life as his already weary legs pumped out what little power they could. From behind a blue blur was seen darting in his direction with her arms flailing about while she screamed "Come back here Squall Leonhart! You will marry me this instant or I'll pound you!"

The game of cat and mouse had begun, though it would end the same way it always did. The crafty feline pounced onto her mouse, soon to be man, and pinned his shoulders to the ground. Her angry gaze was met with a look that transcended any known level of fear to create an emotion not yet given a name by mankind.

Little Rin pursed her lips together and slowly inched closer and closer as a storm of thoughts raced through Squall's mind.

'_No! No! I'm too young to die! Wait! I had a cootie shot. Those last a week! Thank Hyne! Oh no…It's Sunday. I didn't get another one today. I'm doo-'_

However before his mind could register his eternal damnation, he found his lips lightly pressed against those of his best friend. His eyes were clenched tightly though after a second they relaxed.

'_This…this wasn't as bad as I thought it was. Was Cloud lying when he said all girls have cooties? But he keeps looking at Tifa funny, like she has got germs or something.'_

No sooner had their innocent kiss begun had it ended as Rinoa now sat upon Squall triumphantly. She looked down with a cocky expression that displayed her victory to the world around her.

"Now Squall. Now we are married." Of course, she realized something that Squall simultaneously thought as well.

"So…..what's different now?" Indeed. What was different now? Technically there were two things.

Rin retook her confident look and stared down the boy beneath her. "Um, well if we tell Matron we are married, we get cake, I think. Everyone eats cake when people get married. It's because kids like cake and marriage has something to do with children and stuff."

That quickly got Squall's undivided attention. Not the bit about children. There was cake to be had. Getting married was great! He would have to do it everyday.

"And we go on a honeymoon," Rinoa said thoughtfully.

"Oh right, a honeymoon. Of course." Squall suddenly felt the urge to pretend to know about things he really didn't. It must have something to do with getting married.

However Rinoa could see right through his bluff. No matter, she would allow him this small victory. "I think it's a vacation to celebrate the marriage. Hmm…"

"So where do you want to go?"

Rinoa jumped up excitingly from Squall and clenched her two hands close to her chest. "Um…Costa Del Sol!"

This allowed Squall just enough time to regain a vertical base. He didn't understand girls. When he wanted to lie down, she wouldn't let him. But when he wanted to run she knocked him down. Couldn't they ever make up their minds?

A sudden understanding passed between the 'happy couple' as they both looked at each other with a knowing look. An agreement had been reached. Only one location was worthy for their honeymoon.

Both children screamed excitingly. "Gold Saucer!"

The younglings clasped hands and quickly ran back to tell the matron the good news. They ran with speed unnatural for children. But that much was obvious for, there was cake to be had.

* * *

In a dark and dreary cell, a fully grown Squall at the age of 20 rapidly awoke from his dream. The sweat covered his face and slowly slid down his body to meet the sheets beneath him.

While the events he just imagined might have been a nightmare of any boy that age, it certainly was not something that should put the fear of Hyne into Squall. Normally it wouldn't have but those events felt too real. Everything smelled too real.

Slowly he brought one gloved hand to his lips and realized one more thing. They tasted too real.

It was his first dream in years and thus he couldn't quite understand what those collection of images meant.

It must have been the result of the drug. A week has passed by since his abduction from that facility. The supply of the drug used to negate his emotions needed to be rationed. The strange visions must be nothing more than the side effects. Or maybe all men of twenty had such dreams. He certainly had no way of knowing.

For one week, Squall Leonhart remained in the room that was offered to him. Old habits were hard to break.

His new residence was quite similar to his past domicile with only two major differences. There was no TV blaring propaganda twenty-four/seven, and there was no one to collect him for the daily exercise. In a way he was more confined than before. No one realized they needed to tell him he could leave at his will.

'_Wait...in those images. Squall? That's the name that strange girl Rinoa gave me. Why was it in my visions? My subconscious must be filling in the gap. DAMN, these clothes burn. I wish I had more of that drug to spare. How do people deal with this?'_

His thought process was interrupted by a new series of noises that emanated just outside his door. That alone was enough for him to leave his bed and inch his way closer.

* * *

Outside, Rinoa had just returned from a successful seven day mission. Though it pained her to leave Squall so soon after finding him, some assignments needed the leader on hand.

She parted ways from a dark haired ruby eyed woman who bared a striking resemblance to Rinoa. Quickly, she hurried her way to the dorm Squall was kept within. The urge to see how he was doing was soon becoming too great.

Just in front of his room, she ran into a tall though well built blond with crazy spiked hair that ignored every rule of gravity. He sat in watch holding his oversized sword at his side.

"He hasn't left his room all this time. I don't think he realizes he can." The normal pleasantries were not needed nor wanted.

Rinoa's voice raised a few decibels as she fought the urge to berate one of her men. "You mean you left him in there for a week? Cloud. Dismissed!"

The warrior shrugged and started to walk off, though on the inside he felt as if he failed. He knew all to well what challenges Squall had to face. He also knew he was still not the best one to help him through it.

Rinoa's kind nature immediately returned after her brief barking of disappointment. Just as Cloud began walking past her, she grabbed his arm and whispered quickly into his ear. "My cousin is waiting for you upstairs. Hurry!"

With a smirk the young man headed off at double time speed leaving Rinoa alone to deal with their new recruit. That could be a costly mistake.

She slowly headed towards the door and reached for the handle, forcing it to creak open. The door swung back revealing Squall. Half his face was nestled within the shadow of the room. Too much light still bothered him. He refused to doff his old paper like clothing until the pain of touch left him forever.

Slowly the man approached the entryway until Rinoa was in full view. Then for a moment, just a brief moment, a look of childlike innocence flashed through his face and shattered his stone cold expression while a single word resonated from his mouth.

"Rin?"

* * *

Questions, thoughts, comments? I would love to here them all. See room for improvement? I wanna know! Do you like the plot or think its dumb? Come on! Leave a review. Its what pushes me to update quickly. Lets see if we can break the record for the past chapter eh? Thanks again guys, you are all great. Until next time, take care. :-)  



	3. Memories

AN: Hi guys. Here is the next chapter in this particular storyline. Thanks to all those who reviewed the past chapter. I noticed it wasn't as much and was wondering if it wasnt as well liked as i though it would be. Do you guys have any suggestions?

Anyways, here is the next chapter. Here our friends from ff7 will have a bigger role. Enjoy!

* * *

A bar proved to be a worthy disguise for the resistance members that hid their base below. No one would suspect a haven of freedom and justice to be buried below a hall of sin.

The room was decorated with blank walls that could not afford an upgraded. The bar offered a series of old wooden tables and chairs for its many patrons to take part in.

Although now in the middle of the day there would be no customers to pay it homage. The heat and forever ending dullness sent them away to their own lives.

Behind the counter, a young brunette held a glass in one hand while she cleaned it with a cloth using the other. She was humming a sweet tune to herself to keep her spirits lifted after the last mission. It was never easy to lose a member of their organization, no matter how small a role they played. Some memories were better left forgotten.

She continued undisturbed with her chores despite the ruckus that ensued behind her. The latch that proved to be the gateway from one life to another opened while a spiky-haired blond with eyes that glowed in the darkness rose above the darkness below him.

With his weapon strapped to his back, Cloud Strife did his best to slowly approach the vision of loveliness that stood before him without attracting her attention. Using training that surpassed that of normal men, he neared her without releasing a sound.

Slowly, he raised his arms up near her neck as anticipation began riding his senses on a wave that was about to crash. Then, without warning, he felt his arms locked within a vice-like grip as his eyes met with dark red ones that held a superior smile.

Cloud's body was lashed through the air as if he was a mere rag doll and landed across a clear portion of the counter, sparing his body the injuries caused by shattered glass. It was he who was caught off-guard. The soldier, the genetic experiment, the man who was in love.

"It's good to see you return from the mission unscathed, Tifa. You leave me worried every time you go." A smile brimmed up on the edges of his lips as he spoke.

She stood over him with a triumphant look on her angelic face while the emotions of yet another victory settled in. "I wouldn't want to disappoint you." Slowly, she reached down to meet her lips with his for a kiss that was feather soft and light to the touch.

Cloud's arms began to stretch themselves around her form when she suddenly snapped back and left him feeling more than a little disappointed. Her cocky smile was replaced by a look of concern that washed away the joy of seeing her Cloud once more.

"Rinoa…is she…?" Her cousin was always in her thoughts. Along with Cloud and another who had rejoined their clan.

His happiness upon seeing Tifa was quickly replaced by a serious tone that depicted the harshness of the matter. "Your cousin has gone to see him. She ordered me to leave her."

As the news sunk into her mind and her heart, rage began to surface. "And you left her there? Alone, with that…that thi-"

It was moment for the warrior in Cloud to stand tall. This was no time for silly games to be played between two people in love.

"That **person** is the object of your cousin's affection. He is the one who always had it, and is the one who will always keep it. That person is the friend whom we both grew up with as children. If he is now a thing, then so am I." She had unwillingly brought up a touchy subject that held with it painful memories.

It was not so long ago that Cloud found himself within the confines of the hellhole he was forced to claim as a home for so many years. His experience, while no less tragic, was vastly different from that of his comrade.

His training involved manipulation that did not affect the mind and emotions as it did Squall, but one that required his very genes to be altered. Their survival rate was drastically low leaving Cloud Strife to be an anomaly among monsters.

That was how they found out where Squall was kept. That was how they all knew for sure whether or not their childhood friend lived at all. Cloud had discovered him there.

The fighter dressed in the clothing of a barmaid was quickly realizing the consequences of her thoughts now turned words.

"Cloud, I…I didn't mean too..."

"I know," his voice was almost a whisper.

But Tifa needed to be heard out. Her concerns towards the little family that she had left were not without merit. "But he is now a trained killer. Ever since he was taken, that was all he knew to do. He…he could kill her. He probably doesn't even know who she is. When you came back, you barely recognized me and at least your mind was left un-tampered."

It was true. Cloud had almost taken the life of the girl who risked everything to save his. He was the first to be rescued from the place where Evil sprout from the ground. He was the first to be saved from the Garden.

In a delirium, he madly lashed out at all those who neared him once he was taken. The world was a strange and new place to him and he reacted like a newborn infant. An infant armed with the knowledge and power to kill.

He failed to recognize the girl whom he constantly hung around during his childhood. Like another, he had been ostracized by other members of the orphanage due to his less than social nature. Only Tifa, with her smile that could soften a rock, had kept him company and brightened his day with her childlike innocence.

Though truthfully, few would recognize the girl after a separation that lasted so many years. It was hard to imagine a spunky little girl to grow up into such a woman, whose features were not timidly developed. While Cloud's body had grown hardened and firm with years of training under his belt, Tifa's body flourished with the elegance of a springtime nymph.

"There was nothing I could do to help. My presence would only hinder his entry into the world. His experience was different from my own. I can offer no counsel." An unspoken understanding flowed between the two.

Rinoa was not a weakling. She could hold her own in a battle. Or at least long enough to delay her attacker until aid arrived. That much was hoped.

It was Tifa's gentle touch that held onto the last sliver of Cloud's sanity. She brought back the child that existed within out into the life that was stolen from him. No one else could have had such an affect upon him. It took a love so pure, so innocent, that it must have been born between children before it could thrive and grow between adults.

Tifa's arm wrapped itself around the soldier's body as her nose searched the nook of his neck for signs of comfort that he offered for her alone. "Cloud, I'm scared. I heard what Quistis said. It was like he wasn't alive anymore on the inside. That drug they have pumped him with it…its like they stripped him of his humanity."

The ever mysterious drug. It was one created by the Garden with a purpose so malicious that only man could devise it.

The drug's sole function was to bury the soul in chemicals to force the mind to function much like that of a robot. The ability to feel and access to the senses where dimmed until their purpose from a military standpoint could be maximized though their link to emotions were now shattered.

The emotions that allowed humanity to thrive got men killed in the heat of battle. Irrational thought had become the downfall to legions of men as many succumbed to fear. Robots were merely tools that mindlessly obeyed their masters. Squall was in the process of becoming such.

Cloud flung Tifa's body around and pressed it tightly against him as his eyes locked upon her own. Every time he stared into them he found himself lost within their red wine-like sea of intoxication.

"Rinoa will help him. Just like how you helped me. Have trust in..." Tifa brought her lips to Cloud's before he could finish that trademark line of his that was sure to come.

Tifa drank of the innocence that she helped restore to him when she washed away his blood stained hands. It was time for her to believe in Cloud. To believe in Rinoa. To believe in her childhood friend Squall. It was time to have trust in love.

* * *

In the bunker concealed beneath the bar another pair found themselves clutched together though they were shrouded by the darkness. On a bed sat a lone raven-haired girl with soft pink lips that let a tune, similar to the one her cousin knew, escape her.

She sat on the edge of the bed with her legs dangling off the edge. On her lap was a clump of brown hair that was attached to a man who dwelled in neither the land of dreams nor those awake.

His body was trembling as the affects of the drug have worn off and the signs of withdrawal were taking place. His head tried furiously to bury itself deeper within her lap in order to seek sanctuary from the physical trauma his body was going through.

Her creamy white hand began to run through the frazzled hair of her Squall as the whimpers that escaped his mouth began to increase with intensity. His body was writhing in pain more and more as the time passed on, but that only increased the tenderness Rinoa was extending towards him.

Then without notice, all signs of pain vanished momentarily from his body. The trembling was but a memory to his skin while the moans he released was replaced with a soothing calm. Squall's breathing steadied as Rinoa's hand slid down from his hair to cup the side of his face in a loving gesture that evoked precious rare words from the soldier.

Squall turned so he could lay on one side in the fetal position, careful to never let his head remove itself from her lap, careful to not force her hand away from him. "Mom…? Mom…is that you?"

Rinoa's voice was soft and caring "Shhhh. Everything is ok now. Sleep."

She continued to caress the sides of his face when she noticed the smallest hint of a smile begin to form across his face. It was a smile that belonged to a 10-year old child.

"Mom, I had a dream. It was kind of sad. You were gone, Mom. I was growing up in an orphanage. Most of the kids ignored me. I was alone, but I was doing my best, Mom. I was going to become strong," he sounded almost hopeful while he spoke. That was a good sign. The effects of the drug must be quickly fleeting. That much explained why they required doses twice a day.

Rinoa felt it best to play along with his daze. Any conversation would always be better than the alternative. "Were you happy there, honey?"

She felt the young man's head nod below her before he answered. "Sometimes. There were a few people who were nice to me. Another boy was teased by some of the orphans. At least they left me alone. I stepped up for him, Mom. Are you proud of me?"

A smile curled up upon her lips as she spoke. "Very proud of you. Was there anyone else?" She hoped beyond hope that her Squall did indeed remember who she was.

Her heart soared with possibilities when he opened up the door and found her childhood sweetheart say her nickname when they stood at the door. There was so much she wanted to ask; so much she wanted to know. However, Rinoa was temporarily denied the opportunity when Squall fell to the floor unconscious. He had spent a week alone in his room with little of the relief-giving drug to provide him comfort.

"There was this girl with brunette hair. She said she was proud of the blond kid and me. She kept playing with the other little boy after that. The little girl said hi to me every once in a while, so it was ok." He remembered Cloud. He even remembered Tifa. But where was little Rin?

"Oh. Was she your little girlfriend?" Sometimes it took a little nudging in the right direction to get the results you wanted.

This time Rinoa felt Squall shake his head upon her lap causing a slight blush to rush to her cheeks. "No. But there was another girl I liked. Her name was Rin. You would have liked her, Mom. She was so cute. Like a bunny. I was only happy when I was with Rin. We played together a lot. She even made me get married to her."

Her voice became playful now that it was assured she was remembered. "Aw. You didn't want to get married to Rin? It sounds like you cared for her a lot."

The smile upon Squall's face grew further as he recalled many a fond memory of his childhood love. "I think I did. She made me do it but I wanted to anyway. I even gave her Griever."

The boy who was resting upon Rinoa's lap now turned to rest on his other side thus causing Rinoa's eyes to grow impossibly wide. When the shock of the moment had left her, she realized her free hand had clutched to a chain that hung around her neck. Two rings clanked together as she did so.

"I'm sorry the dream is over. I wish Rin were real. She was my best friend."

Rinoa tilted her head down ever so slightly to the young man. She sounded so motherly as her words dripped with love. "Sleep now. Dream of her. Sometimes, dreams come true. You never know when you will wake up and she will be right there."

Like a hopeful child Squall asked. "Everything will be alright, won't it?"

"Everything will be alright." She had to be his confidence until Squall regained his own

"You will stay with me tonight?"

"I will"

"Promise you won't leave me?"

"I promise."

_'I promise Squall. I promise I will never let anyone take you away from me again. I promise you will never have to go through that nightmare again. I promise I will always be there for you. Most certainly of all, I promise I will always love you.'

* * *

_So what do you guys think? Enjoyed it? I would love to hear your comments and review. Throw in some questions if you are unsure as to what happened or something needs clarification. Thanks for waitin for this update. It kind of felt like it took longer than usual. Thanks for the reviews once again and until next time, take care!. :-)


	4. His Problem

AN: Wow, sorry to keep you waiting guys. Business has been good and life has been busy. I hope everyone hasn't forgotten about this story and i hope you will enjoy this chapter that i have just posted up. It was originally supposed to be a really rinoa-centric story but i decided to give someone else a little bit more focus. Don't worry Rinoa fans, she will get her time. Anyways, i dont own the chars. Enjoy the story. Please Read and Review.

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"So which one of us is the inhuman one?" It sounded like such a stupid question at the time. It was certainly one of those moments when the comment made more sense in your head. 

It was always unusual for a guy to be the one to light up the room. His glowing eyes always betrayed him in the night. Whenever they fluttered open, it told her that he had woken up once again. They were remnants of the experiments that were enacted upon him so many years ago. A constant reminder that even the most basic and private genetic coding he had was altered against his will in order to push him further into submission.

This hardly meant Tifa's eyes were any less noteworthy. But while Cloud's eyes spoke of a horror story that was on a constant replay, hers held that simple natural beauty that purified all visions of evil. This is where Cloud found his redemption. This is where he felt most like a person.

Tifa sat up on the bed now that she had been disturbed from her otherwise peaceful slumber. Her gaze moved towards the only slight glow in the room as she found Cloud gazing at himself in the mirror.

Often the soldier had jested that it was a mirror reserved for Tifa alone having found her modeling in front of it on many occasions. Naturally she responded that it was always for his benefit in the end. She rarely cared for the more superficial necessities of life. Money was scarce enough without them. Funding a resistance is never cheap.

However something about Cloud's being there almost demanded that she take measures to look her absolute best for him. There was just something about looking and feeling as cute as he saw her that drove her wild. It was a simple enough task for a woman with her body. With wild eyes and dark hair that flailed about in the wind, it was nearly impossible to find her unattractive.

Alright alright. Cloud could go on about her silky skin, long sexy legs and a cute smile, but what got his attention first, even today was always her bust. He was still a man. A warrior who was born to be tough and cause carnage, not an overemotional pansy who would compare her features to some part of nature. And truthfully, Tifa preferred him to be honest in all matters. It was the only way to rebuild the relationship that was weakened by a few stolen years away from one another.

So if all of this was true, why had these two things occurred? First Cloud found himself providing the very same metaphors he earlier though useless, though he constantly tried to 'toughen' them up a bit. And then there was the question he just posed.

He remained standing near the mirror in Tifa's one bedroom apartment. Whether or not they were rebels, the needed to continue living their everyday lives. Fighting to trample an evil institution that created soldiers of death didn't exactly pay well. And people who wanted to make a living needed a home address.

She rubbed her groggy eyes further to bring some life back into them and was finally able to focus in on Cloud.

Yes there were times where he was cold hearted and tough, but he did have another side to him. He was always gentle with Tifa. And she was always gentle with him. Let the world be cruel to them both. It doesn't matter so long as they have each other to comfort. Unfortunately many times Cloud's time to act so timid came late at night when most people desired sleep.

"Cloud? What are you talking about?" Maybe he was in those really romantic thoughtful moods. He apparently thought one of them wasn't human. He loved to call her his angel of the night. Perhaps he was going to go along those lines and say something that would have swept her off her feet if she wasn't already in bed.

Being a barmaid, she had heard more than her fair share of pickup lines with the word angel in it. Everything from 'Heaven must be missing an angel because here you are' to 'You must be an angel because you just flew into my heart.' Those comments quickly stopped after a certain blond frequented the bar during her shifts. The last one to say something like that spent well over a month in recovery.

But angel of the night was something different altogether. He was trying to be romantic, and for whatever reason practical at the same time. The latter was probably the result of him being a man and a soldier.

The nights were always theirs alone. There were no other resistance members to watch out for or missions to accomplish or customers to take care of at the bar. During the nights she could watch over and protect him with great diligence. She actually was his guardian angel.

"Me or Squall. Which one of us is the inhuman one? Which one of us is the monster?" He turned around to face her. She still lay there sitting upon her bed, though now leaning forward so she could rest her arms on her knees. Her hair was roguish as it swept all along the sides and partially covered the side of her face, and yet it somehow added a new depth of allure to her.

"Cloud, I still don't understand what you're talking about." She motioned with her hands for him to come closer. He obediently complied with her demands and went to her. He sat down so Tifa could wrap her arms around him from behind while her she rested her head upon a shoulder. Yes she was going to attentively listen to his grievances and give him her true opinion, not just what would make him feel better, but she was still tired as hell at the hour.

"Now then, explain." So much for romantic thoughtful. This was just deep thoughtful.

"I…I just couldn't help but think which one of us was human. What is it that makes a person, and which one of us qualifies?"

"Don't be – "

"If it's our genes, our genetic makeup that determines what species something is, then surely I am not. You have seen the tests. I've been changed. My DNA is a little different from yours." Perhaps a little different was the wrong way to say it. His DNA was actually more perfect than hers. There was more to code, more advances plugged in. However the result of such DNA was still unclear. Of a program that produced mindless savages, only he could be called a partial success.

"Its your –"

"Thoughts? The memories that make up the way one thinks? Then what of Squall? His memories are suppressed if not gone. Half the time he walks around like a mindless zombie just going wherever Rinoa is, almost like a faithful dog."

"You've seen the progress he has made, the flashbacks Rinoa said he had."

"But is it enough? Which one of us qualifies to be a person?"

"Cloud, what's really the matter? Why are you so concerned with your humanity all of a sudden?"

"Before we knew exactly what happened to Squall, I always felt I was still valid because I thought like a human. I had hopes, dreams, ambition. But after seeing what condition Squall is in, I just don't know anymore"

With loosely pursed lips, Tifa kissed his cheek slightly before resting her head again against his shoulder. "Well if you ask me, one of two things decide if you are a person or not."

Cloud smiled just a little bit. Tifa would be honest, so he knew he wouldn't get some meaningless farce of an answer. At the same time, her honesty always made him feel better, even when it was something he didn't want to hear.

"I think you are human if you think you are human." Tifa quickly smothered Cloud's mouth with her hand to prevent him from interrupting. "And we both know you think you are human otherwise we wouldn't be sitting here like this right now. The other way, is when someone else recognizes your humanity."

She released her hold upon him and turned his face so she could look straight into it. "And Cloud, I recognize your humanity." Tifa cupped his face and sealed her words with a kiss. That made it undisputable fact. It would never be doubted again.

Earlier that evening in another apartment, two people walked into their new home. Rinoa quickly walked in and through the apartment with the excitement of a little girl while Squall stood emotionless by the door, a little dazed by her peculiar behavior. With the passing of each day, he found himself learning more and more about this strange woman, and about himself.

There was still one question that he still could not answer. What was it about this girl that was triggering these random visions that vanished moments later?

She was always there with him now. More to the point, he was always there following her. As of yet he had not been assigned any real tasks to do for the resistance. He pursued Rinoa and acted as her assistant whenever circumstances required it. While his new life was nothing like his old, there was no way he would ever trade it back.

The strolling princess finished taking in the ambiance of the room and walked back towards the entrance. There she pulled Squall into the room and immediately wrapped her arms around him to keep him in a loose hug.

She was always holding him, touching him in some way. He was a man who learned to live without emotion and to disregard thought as a mere annoyance that would surely lead to death. All Squall had were flashes of events that seemingly appeared at random while he was with her.

Rinoa was lost in a tug of wars between her feelings and the sense of hopelessness that was arising. There were so many times when he came too close to remembering on his own or times where he almost abandoned this emotionless face of his, only to be sucked back in by years of being dominated.

But there was someone who had the answer. Quistis. The only cure for someone devoid of thoughts and emotion was to immerse him into it. For someone who knew only abandonment and hate, he needed to know affection and love. So Rinoa would do this much for him. She would act on her feelings of love towards a man who was almost a stranger.

She tilted her head to the side in that cute little way she always does while tucking one ankle behind the other. "So, what do you think? It's cute right?"

A stray strand of hair fell across her face and mirrored the scar Squall had across his face. Instinctively he pulled one hand so he could tuck it behind her ear and slowly caress the side of her face. His face further froze as he realized what he was beginning to do.

Squall had started responding to the environment around him without having being told or taught to do so. That little strand that partially blocked her lovely face triggered him to react. He didn't like anything blocking his view of her. He was depending on her, he needed her. At the institute he was taught that dependence leads to weakness. Here it was his dependence that let him grow.

Rinoa blushed a little bit at his touch. Well, the touch of the leather gloves he still felt uncomfortable without. At least now he could go without the sunglasses though it did make him look more sexy.

"Oh right sorry. Big tough men like yourself don't think in terms of cute do you? Fine, how about, 'do you like it?' Is that macho enough?" She spoke half teasingly, half in jest. Even if Squall made a full recovery, odds are that he still wouldn't think in terms of cute. It just wasn't in his nature as a child, much less now.

The stormy eyed soldier just nodded his acceptance of the apartment after taking a brief look around. It would suit his needs well, all though there was one little catch he hadn't been told just yet. "I will take this room." The living room was the most secure location. He would be able to quickly respond to any threats in the apartment and keep Rinoa safe. Everything else to him was meaningless.

"You can't take this room! It's the living room! The bedrooms are for sleeping." It was a little embarrassing talking about this. Having lived in a one roomed cube for ten years, the concept of having multiple rooms still confused him. Besides, Rinoa couldn't help but have her own dirty little thoughts. Regardless of how little she knew him now, he was still quite the attractive man.

They had finally found some clothes for him to wear. He had black pants that were held up by an intricate brown tribelt system. He wore a simple white t-shirt along with a black leather jacket that had just a little tasteful amount of fur at the edges. While his look had certainly improved, there was still a little something missing.

"Then which one will you take?" Rinoa pointed to the obviously bigger and much nicer of the two rooms available. Why avoid the little luxuries in life when you could claim it. Besides, if Squall was almost a clean slate, she would teach him how to be an absolute gentleman, well almost.

"Then I will take the other one." With a duffel bag in hand he proceeded to head towards the other room until a soft hand blocked him from going any further.

"Actually you'll be in that room too." While she was just blushing slightly earlier, now her face was almost completely red.

"You're right. I will be able to keep better guard of you if I remained in the same room."

Rinoa began quietly shuffling her fingers together as there was more to come. There was a reason she had to move out of her old apartment in this same building to get one with Squall. While he may currently be socially inept, he didn't need someone to watch him 24 hours a day no matter how much he wanted her there.

Squall had already learned what that little mannerism meant. He quietly awaited for her to continue. "See the thing is, I have been telling everyone that I was engaged to this handsome young soldier who was currently stationed abroad."

"You were creating a cover story for yourself. It was an admirable tactic. Most men who would look to create a relationship would not seek it from a married woman." Of course he didn't say that those who just wanted Rinoa for her looks would hound her no matter what, but they would never pry too deeply into her life.

"Also military men are well respected. Saying you were engaged to a soldier would keep most trouble makers away and win you the aid of neighbors should you need anything. However we will need to find a suitable actor for the job." For a man who excelled at analyzing and decoding a situation, he seemed to miss the obvious.

"Actually, uh, WE are the Leonharts. As far as anyone knows, my last mission after you came back was actually us going away on our honeymoon, and we moved into a bigger apartment since my old one was just a studio."

"This is fine. It will allow me to keep watch over you. What is my back story?"

"Well you went to Trabia to instruct there. I have the details written down for you to look at later. Basically you didn't want to actually get married until you finished your term, so we stayed engaged for a few years until just a few weeks ago."

It never occurred to either one of them that they were holding one another in a loose hug again. Correction, it never occurred to Rinoa that they were in such a position again. Squall knew but failed to understand any importance to it.

"So what does it mean now that we are married?" There had been no instruction as to this topic at the institute.

"Well it basically means we love each other and that we like to spend our time with each other more than anyone else and that we can't live without one another and…"

"This is a learn through experience exercise, isn't it?" While it was just slight, his voice had changed in tone a little. He sounded almost…coy.

"Mm hmm. I had some mock photos of our honeymoon and wedding made. I'll handle some of the decorations tomorrow while you go over your cover story. Oh and expect a lot of these." Rinoa leaned in closer to the hug which she pretended not to notice and kissed him on the cheek. "And this." This time it was a well placed but quick kiss on the lips. "Married people do that. A lot. A whole lot. We will actually have to practice this more and more." There had to be benefits to taking care of him.

"What else do married people do?" It was an innocent question with sinful implications.

"Well, you might not be ready for that." Actually she wasn't ready for that. "But there is something that could prepare you and help you keep watch over me." They were already in a relationship of protecting one another. Squall just didn't realize how much Rinoa really did for him yet. Well if he did, he hadn't learn to show hew knew.

"What?"

"Well, remember that time when I came back and you collapsed? You woke up and we were uh…you know…holding each other…in the bed…and stuff.."

"Yes" Actually his memory of that whole event was rather weak. However he did recall the feeling of being held by her like that when he woke up. More importantly he remembered the less pleasant feeling when she had to leave later.

"Well we should do something like that here anyways. Besides, it might be awkward if people somehow found out you were sleeping on the floor." Between some overly snoopy neighbors and Squall being unable to determine what was acceptable to talk about, there was a good chance it would be revealed.

"I agree. Let's start practicing." It was a really good feeling and he was eager for it to return. Squall was nothing but a dedicated soldier, and a good soldier spends a good portion of his time training.

"Yes sir!" And Rinoa was just as eager. They began shifting their way towards the room. Once inside, Squall would say only one more thing this night.

"Rinoa?"

"Yes Squall?"

"I think the apartment is cute."

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So what did you guys think? I need to think of occupations for Cloud, Squall and Rinoa. I can't have everyone work in the same bar above thier little hideout. Can anyone provide me some suggestions? It would really speed up the writing process for the next chapter Thanks! 

So yeah, this chapter focused a bit more on Cloud, but i think it was necesarry. Like i said before, i want the cast from 7 to play a real role here in order to make this more of a real crossover. I hope you guys like it. Next chapter will probably favor the 8 cast.

Btw, if you are reading my other in progress stories, i am currently writing all those chapters. Be patient, the update comes soon.

Anyways, thanks for staying loyal and for reading. Leave your thoughts, questions, comments and reviews! Oh, and there was probably a ton of bad grammer here. While i did edit it a bit, i only had X amount of time. Be kind!

Anyways, Until next time, take care:-)


	5. New Words

**IMPORTANT:** A joint project between me and Ash Ai has been released under her name. It is a Final Fantasy 7 cloti fiction named 'Tifa's Clouded Heart Locked In Strife' (i came up with the title. Do you like the play on thier names?) Me and Ash Ai, who is definatly favorite CloTi writer, will take turns writing each chapter. I wrote the first chapter, and she is in charge of the second. Please take the time to read and review it if you enjoy my or her workings.

Also, if people enjoy FF8 stories with a more unusual and different storylines, check out Carie Valentine. Her work is well written and tends to deviate from more standard plots.

Finally, i have noticed finally that one can make forum topics, so i have done just this. Check them out and respond. I would love to hear what you guys think!

Now that i have put all these announcements, on with the story!

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It was amazing just how much of an affect this girl was having upon Squall in just a few short days. In all honesty it didn't make sense. He was trained to eliminate all things in his environment that caused him confusion and turmoil. It brought simplicity to his life, a sick sense of balance where the living created the dead where there was none.

And yet she was the liveliest creature he had ever come across. Though to be fair his interaction with all other living things had been limited, short, and rather brutal. Yet unlike everything and everyone else, her touch seemed to do something different to him.

It made him…feel. It was a strange new part of himself that he vaguely remembered, as if he was lost an amnesiac fugue only to rediscover bits and pieces about himself from long ago.

He managed to learn yet another new word, like. The best part about his new found ability to like, was the fact that he liked he could like. Consider it a play on words where one is limited by their own vocabulary, but he liked to like. At the same time, he found that disliking was something he didn't take to naturally. Liking something was far more pleasant to do.

For the past few days he lived a life that was nothing short of paradise to him as he was able to spend all his time completely unhindered with Rinoa. He had been following her around like a faithful lovesick puppy for two days as his entrance into civilized life was quickly becoming affirmed.

In fact to the amazement of all but one person, there was only one 'incident' that caused any sort or calamity in public.

There was always a chance that Squall was still faking his way through the rebellion in order to gain trust. There he had the potential to act as a spy who filtered out information before he made his final move and eliminated them. With each passing day the scenario become all the more unlikely, which is what made it all the more possible.

Squall had taken one of his first steps through the city and walked hand in hand through the streets while they were taking in the sights at midday. His clueless nature on how to act in the world mixed with his complete and utter dependence on Rinoa actually played into his 'role' rather well.

To the average passerby, he appeared to be nothing more than a newly married man never desiring for any degree of physical separation from his wife. It was cute how he desired to walk with her while holding each others hands.

Even Cloud had to be amazed at the progress Squall was supposedly making. He had read up on the files regarding the program the scarred warrior was in. His addiction to the emotion suppressing drug should have been absolute, yet it seems he has been able to trade of one addiction for another. He seemed addicted to Tifa's cousin.

Squall was even able to hold her hand without the leather glove he had been seen always wearing. And while he did have the sunglasses on, it seemed to serve a more practical function given the time of day.

All this taken into account, there was still need for a test. It was never enough to suspect the presence of a spy, but to eliminate it outright. Cloud watched from above on rooftops and followed the two through the city, waiting until the timing was perfect. There needed to be a safe distance between them and other civilians since the potential for destruction was high.

Then, when the couple were alone on their side of the street, the timing was just right. They had reached a crosswalk that instructed them to wait just a few more precious moments before it deemed it safe for them to cross. Perfect.

Cloud quickly rolled up one sleeve and checked the ribbon tied around his arm. It was his own private little reminder about the curse he was force to live with. It was also the only thing that continued to assure him he wouldn't lose control.

What was so special about this particular ribbon? Not much really. It appeared to be a simple red ribbon, the kind a girl may use to tie up her hair or the kind used to wrap up a present because that's precisely what it was.

However whenever he wore it and felt it wrapped around his arm, Cloud knew he would not lose control and fall prey to his own destructive force. Why is that? Because right now in a bar that was serving a lunchtime rush, a dark haired woman who loved this man had the very same ribbon tied around her arm as well.

When Cloud first returned from the world of the living dead, Tifa had long flowing hair that was tied at the very end with a nice red bow. Meeting her again and being saved from such hellish torture is what first led Cloud to have doubts about his ability to control himself.

Though no matter how defective he felt, Tifa would never dare leave his side. And in an effort to provide him with continuing comfort when she was forced to leave, she brashly took a knife and cut her hair shorter and released the ribbon. Then, splitting it in two, she tied one around his arm, and one around hers.

It was a symbol that she would always be there for him, protecting him. Not poison, blindness, death or any other ailment could dare harm him whenever he wore this. Because while it was really nothing more than part of a hair ribbon tied around his arm, it was also a symbol of love.

With his symbol now fully in check, Cloud grasped his sword with both hands and lunged off the top off the building and aimed straight for Rinoa, unafraid to release the full extent of his abilities.

It wasn't that he had some unknown grudge against Rinoa but because he had well placed faith in her and her ability to bring Squall back.

If Squall passed his test he would be able to block Cloud's assault and quickly become ready to fight off the attacker. It wouldn't be easy to calm down this overprotective killing machine, but with Rinoa's aid it should be possible.

If Squall failed Cloud's test, he would have succeeded in dismantling the rebellion for him.

The time it took to go from a tall building and reach the ground was miniscule at best. However here is where the difference between those who were captured and altered and the rest of society were most notable.

Squall's hold on Rinoa's hand was absolute. He heard a slight noise coming from up and behind him. No matter. Birds swooped down from buildings all the time apparently. Here was the problem. It appeared to be slicing the air, approaching them faster and faster with an almost undeniable aura of intent to kill.

Yet, his own instincts weren't blaring and letting him know that his own life was perhaps in danger. If the attack didn't continue, by all means he would be safe and able to launch a reasonable counterattack upon whatever it was that was headed his way.

The problem was, it was headed right for…

Immediately Squall's instincts were cast aside as his body spun Rinoa out and away from the doom that was to hit just moments later. His body recalled all the training that had been drilled into his head for ten years as his hand found a grip upon the attacker before it hit the ground, and used it as leverage to thrust it down further at a crooked angle.

The magnitude of Cloud's collision with the earth was so great that his body was momentarily flung back up, but his back quickly met with Squall's elbow. The resulting landing shot up dusk from everywhere around them leaving Rinoa coughing while momentarily blinded by it.

Squall immediately moved to continue his assault though he was weaponless at the moment, however when he looked upon the floor all he found was a note where a shattered carcass should remain. On it read a simple message.

'You passed.'

Most organizations have a far less intricate hazing process when initiating new members. Usually there was heavy public humiliation mixed in with physically demanding tasks while regarding existing members as some sort of overlord or master.

This one merely required you to respond in an appropriate matter when the thing you hold most dear is suddenly threatened with termination.

While Rinoa continued to ask just what happened back there, Squall would never tell. It was a simple understanding between men who had been through similar calamities and is not something that could have been easily explained to one who could have been a needless tragedy.

The rest of the day came and went without any other problems as Squall learned new words throughout the day like restaurant and lunch. These were two concepts he was not overly familiar with. The prospect of eating food throughout the actual day and not just as it started or ended seemed like a waste of supplies and a logistical error on the commander of this establishment.

However Rinoa seemed to be enjoying herself here and she was the one who was most assimilated into this role. At the table, Squall's eyes couldn't help but wander around and take in all the information this place had to offer. It seemed that Rinoa was well known at this particular restaurant.

There were couples as well as singles who constantly glanced in their direction while whispering to their dining partners. His hazel brown eyes quickly read the lips of over a dozen people while his mind registered this plethora of information.

"So that's her husband. She wasn't kidding when she said he was handsome." Mental note. Inquire why some of his hands was worthy of discussing.

"Wow, do you think he would like to date?" Mental Note: Date, fruit. My role clearly states I am a married man. Reaffirm sexuality.

Rinoa's face grew an attractive slight blush when she saw Squall reach across the counter and take hold of hers. It was one of the first few attempts of affection he ever made on his own.

"Wow, that's so adorable!" Mental Note: the capabilities of a door seem to be appropriate topic for discussion

"Man, Rinoa looks so hot in that blue duster today. I would love to see her without-" Mental note. This man must die.

"Yeah, it really accentuates her…" Mental Notes: His companions will observe their commander's torment and sacrifice a thumb as payment. Two pinkies also acceptable.

"Maybe we should invite them to dinner. Her husband must be new here." Mental Note: allies acknowledged. Do not kill……yet.

"Wow, that scar is so sexy, I'd love to…" Mission accomplished. Sexuality reestablished. Role reassumed.

Squall had spent much time practicing this new move over the past two days. It was supposed to be a rather easy thing to do, but his normally stoic face was otherwise cracking as he attempted it. Nonetheless, Squall was a man determined to succeed in any mission as he forced out a subtle half-grin.

That along with his roguish dark brown hair and sunglasses which he forgot to take off made him quite appealing. He heard a spoon fall down to the carpeting below, a noise few had the training to hear.

An attractive redhead having spotted his grin proclaimed "Oh my, I'm feeling hot." Mental Note: Menopause can start young. Situation unstable. Caution. Avoid.

Their waiter had also noticed Squall's unique style and undeniable looks as a man, and thus allowed a few buttons upon her shirt to…accidently…slip open.

Unfortunately and much to Rinoa's enjoyment, he failed to notice. Or more correctly he noticed but failed to place any value there. Funny, Rinoa constantly found him staring at her just below the neckline.

"Squall, baby, lets go." Rinoa purred as she left the bill but also…accidently…forgot to tip. She stood up brimming with a smile as she headed out the building.

Mental Note: Rinoa can purr. I very much like purring. Reward for successful mission is appropriate.

With an even wider smile upon his face, Squall followed her out, and was very quick to grab hold of her hand. He was fond of the feeling of her hand. It was unlike the feel of anything else he had come across in his time in the real world. Her hands were soft, yet warm and soothing. One could only wonder what the rest of her felt like. Well, he did have a little idea.

In that same restaurant, a certain redhead proclaimed. "That is so precious." With a heavy sigh she said aloud to herself. "Where can I get a man like that?"

While she heard the response, she never saw the blond man who said it, hidden behind a menu "Lady, you don't want to know."

Squall and Rinoa returned to their overly cute yet very touching scene of walking away into the background with their hands interlaced. She did have one more little surprise for him today before they returned home.

He was always eager to make his way back to the apartment they shared together. Since his abduction from the facility, the constant home he had for a solid ten years, he had been shifted around from residence to residence every few days.

The only constant source of familiarity he had been aquatinted with the entire time was Rinoa, but even she seemed to hold an air of hesitation about her. He could sense when someone was withholding a secret.

While he had various methods of extracting that information, there was something about his being that wouldn't let him even comprehend doing that to her.

Rinoa was a strong and powerful woman who could hold her own in a fight against several worthy opponents, however here she would have been facing an opponent that was in a completely different class.

He was trained to have every advantage against any possible foe, and that included fighting off temptations from a seductress who may attempt to lower his guard so that she may land a fatal blow.

Though from Rinoa, he had nothing of the sort to fear. He had already been placed in several 'training' positions that left him in such a situation, only to pass flawlessly each time. Squall had gained insight as to determining someone's intentions in just the way they held themselves.

From Rinoa he had nothing to fear, unless it was compassion that was his Achilles heel. But there was something more that he was feeling from her. Something that she was afraid to reveal to him yet was slowly building up the courage to do so. It was here he discovered a new word. Curiosity.

They finally arrived at their destination, which Squall determined was actually only a block away from where they were living together. That seemed really strange since they had spent the entire day walking and 'exploring' the city only to end up a block from where they started?

Perhaps there was some form of hidden joy in there that he did not quite understand yet. There must be for Rinoa to have that almost dopey but goddess like smile plastered across her face. She had enjoyed herself today. That meant the day, no matter how inefficient, was well worth it.

They stood standing in front of a store with just a simple sign saying 'General Store' above it. Inside the lights were off, yet all the shelves were fully stocked. It seemed ready for business except for one sign saying 'Closed. Away on Honeymoon.'

Even Squall could not dismiss the obvious references that were being made. "I see. It seems to be an equipment shed for high ranking officers who are away on a mission. The defenses seem light. We shall infiltrate in the evening." He didn't add that he had minor discomfort attempting a break-in so close to their residence, however with his skills no one would be able to track them.

"No silly. You're using the wrong definition of General!" She stomped her foot in mild annoyance but couldn't help but smile at his silliness.

"Oh" Mental Note: I am always using the wrong definition. Assume the opposite.

"It's our store. I was running it earlier as part of my cover. The people in the area seem to know me pretty well, so they were pretty happy when I said I was going away on my honeymoon. They are looking forward to meeting you tomorrow." She was a little nervous at his meeting so many different civilians in a short amount of time. It would be the ultimate test.

"It is like a mission?" Treating life like a series of missions was how he was being trained to become more…human.

"Yes Squall, it is exactly like a mission. The objective is to maintain our cover and generate a steady income for our organization."

"So it has a mission reward?" So far all of his rewards were…acceptable.

"Mm Hmm. How about a little advance for your reward tonight? You never fail anyways. This reward is a new word."

He rather enjoyed learning new words and extending his vocabulary. Each one was like a weapon which destroyed the barriers of the world he knew. "What word?"

Rinoa blushed again as she used her hold on Squall to pull him towards her. That would have worked except she forgot his inherent strength and mass were working against her. Instead she ended up being pulled up against him, with the top of her head being slightly tucked underneath Squall's chin while his arms wrapped around her.

"Cuddling."

A tired warrior had made his way into a bar where he quietly sat down to rest his weary body. The bartender noticed his entrance but did little to acknowledge it as she continued to clean a glass with a single white towel.

"What'll it be?" She put the glass down and reached under the counter to pull out the same thing he had every time he waltzed into her establishment. It was a special concoction that was off the menu and reserved just for Cloud.

"Something hard."

She pulled out the mix and poured it slowly into a clean glass before sliding it Cloud's way. The only other customer at the bar at this hour exited the establishment, leaving it relatively safe to talk.

Tifa slowly strolled up to him with a little sway in her hips and a smile upon her face. She knew what he set out to do today, and given his current battered position, she could guess the results.

"Poor baby. You're all hurt and bruised." Tifa got around the bar counter and made her way to Cloud, and put her hands upon his shoulders to give it a soothing rub.

"Can I kiss it and make it better?" Cloud hadn't had any of his drink yet. There was no way he could be drunk. She really was saying this. If Hyne really existed, there wouldn't be a catch attached to any it.

"Please do." He was already making a mental checklist of all the places he was injured.

"First you will tell me how your little trap went." Damn. Screwed again.

"I used a simple straight-forward attack. It was strong enough that he would have taken it seriously, but basic enough that he would have been able to counter if he wanted to. It went smoothly save for my—"

He shuddered softly when he felt her pursed lips against a black and blue mark on his shoulder.

No, he was a battle-hardened tough warrior, he wouldn't let a simple –

She did it again, this time searching for the nape of his neck even though there was no bruise there. Screw it, there was no way he would be able to resist her charms. At least if she continued. Tifa suddenly pulled back and tucked her hair behind her ears before asking the all important question.

"So, where your suspicions confirmed?"

"Yes, they were." Cloud smiled as he realized his predictions were true. He remembered his own test and how he passed it.

"So that means." Tifa clasped her hands together as the happiness of the situation began to overwhelm her.

"Yep. Squall is absolutely and undoubtedly completely in love with Rinoa."

* * *

Leave me a review with your thoughts, comments, questions, or general review. I would love to hear what you guys have to say about this chapter and this fiction in general. Also, don't forget to check out the joint project between me and Ash Ai. I think it will probably be one of the better stories i have ever helped release, so don't miss out! 

Thanks for everything guys, so remember to review, check out the story, and until next time, Take care:-)


	6. A Soldier

AN: Wow.

Am i sorry for not updating this fic a whole lot sooner. What can i say guys? I have been being smacked around with a lot of inspiration for a lot of different series ( i currently have 3 squinoas on my harddrive that have yet to be posted. I dont want to wear myself out just yet, along with fictions from other series). I really like the idea for this story, but im getting kind of worn out. So i bring you the final chapter to Man's Inhumanity. However...i will be sequeling this soon once i get a more finite direction as to where i want to take this fiction.

Ah, and in case you were wondering where i was. For a few weeks i was out of the country on a family emergency. AFter that i had to spend a lot of time just catcghing up on my university work (its funny how professors dont care why you're out of the country.) so my mind was kinda off. Eventually i got back into the mode of writing.

I hope this last chapter isnt one massive disapointment. Please give me your opinions and reviews.

Also, if you guys just wanna make me happy for altruistic reasons...read my full metal panic stories! i model the main male character personalities as somewhat similar between the two.

Thanks for everythign guys

I dont own ff8 or the chars.

* * *

"You are scum. Worthless trash that society has long forgotten." 

These words continued to haunt Squall's memory even to this day.

"It is the organization that has found you. We have saved you from your pitiful selves."

Certain talks that were given daily tended to leave some residue in your mind.

"You're only purpose is to become a bringer a death."

Squall had become quite good at serving his purpose in that life.

"You will hold no allegiances. You will have no loyalties. No one else matters to you. Only the organization."

It was always with that same voice to. Maybe it was the head of the organization. No, that was too risky. He would have been too easy to kill.

"Remember who feeds you. Who clothes you. Who provides for you. You are dogs and dogs must obey there masters!"

Dogs also can bite the hand that feeds them.

"Dogs of the military! When we say fight, you fight. When we say kill, you kill. You are soldiers."

For ten years that was the only identity he could allow himself. Squall was a soldier and nothing more.

"You have no place in civilized society. Your only place is to be scorned by them for being the rejects you are. Kill our enemies and earn what little honor we have allowed you."

But what was a soldier really? Wasn't he nothing more than a civilian with different kinds of training? Didn't that mean he too could find a place in society?

The fact that those questions even entered his mind during that same speech he heard daily left him to deal with 6 hours of shock therapy.

The scar that was left on his face while killing an opponent so he could eat had healed. The trauma of going through untold amounts of mental torture was something he could not trust himself to handle. Like this, he was a danger to her.

She was sleeping so peacefully in his arms too. Her hair was slightly scattered over the exposed portion of her face as her nose was trying to bury itself further into his chest. Rinoa held onto him with a deathlike grip as if she were afraid one day she would wake up and he wouldn't be there anymore.

There was no way he was going to let her think the past few months of running the store together could be just a dream. He wasn't going anywhere.

"And you would gladly die for us because your life no longer has any value. You are ours to do away with as we please."

Typically at that point, they would bring in the current dead-last from the roster and prove just how expendable they were. None of the things trained at the organization were even listed as people. You would however, find their names listed under equipment.

After the recently killed body landed with a thud on the ground, the video would cut off and the remaining trainees would return to their solitude once more. It was a grim life, if you could even call it that.

Squall loved the feel of holding Rinoa against him. He knew now that he couldn't treat his life as meaningless anymore. Too much was revealed to him. His…his Rin had taught him too much.

Oh yes. He had figured it out. The random flashbacks caused by this certain girl increased in frequency with the more time he spent around her. It didn't take long to put two and two together.

Not when both had that same pushy attitude, that domineering presence, the demand for complete and total attention..

Those soft cute lips….eyes he wanted to look into forever, a smile that made even his frozen heart warm up, and a kiss that was unmistakably and unforgettably hers. None of it had changed from his childhood.

She had taught him what it meant to eat for the sake of flavor, to laugh for the sake of humor, and to love for the sake of the person you most cherished in this world.

And for Squall, that person was sleeping soundly in his arms, just like she did every other night for the past few months since they took up their fake lives.

It was a relatively hard task at first. So much solitude makes it hard for someone to accept another person so close to them for so long. In a way Squall expected it to be a cruel joke. That he should learn the comfort and presence of another human being just so it could be taken away to play with his mind. HE was after all a member of the lowest caste of society. Why shouldn't it be scorned? Correction. Squall was a he now, not an it. And Rin, well she was very much a she.

His eyes shifted down to her face once again when he heard her giggle in her sleep. She was dreaming. She was happy. Nothing else mattered right now. Yet, all he could remember now was the first time they had made such an attempt.

For the first few weeks he had watched her sleep as he cuddled her up within his arms. The first time he nearly strangled her to death when he didn't realize just how strong and unused to tenderness he was. It left a bruise around her sides that he was not soon to forget as the guilt of being a monster overcame him once more.

Yet Rin was able to make it all go away by insisting they try again that following evening. "You'd never hurt me on purpose Squall." Those were the only words he needed to hear to adapt to a gentle touch.

"YOU ARE MAN'S INHUMANITY TO MAN! YOU ARE A SOLDIER!"

In the past Squall often heard Rin talking in her sleep to herself as some kind of nightmare washed over her. Her whimpering confused him at first, but it didn't take long to acknowledge her distress. She was afraid of him leaving…of him dying. More than anything else in the world, she was afraid that they wouldn't be together again for whatever reason.

Squall wasn't going to let that happen.

He was going to be a soldier no more.

* * *

It was yet another one of those perfect days in the city with the sun shining high up in the sky and the wind providing a gentle yet cooling breeze. It was one of those days that made you think of being at park having a picnic with your lover as you sat together with your arms intertwined with one another.

So that's precisely what Cloud and Tifa did. The busty brunette had closed up shop for the day and taken hours to prepare a wonderfully romantic spread of food for the picnic only to find out Cloud was far hungrier for something else.

His mind always burned with passion whenever Tifa was near him now. He loved her. Undeniably and truly. He had spoken such words to her as much as possible because in their line of work, there probably wasn't a tomorrow. The fact either was living at this moment was a statistical anomaly that neither dared to question.

Resting against a tree just behind him was the sword that Cloud never failed to bring with him. No matter what happened, he had to remember one thing. He was a soldier. He was trained to kill and defeat his enemies. But also, he was a man. He had a life he wanted to build. He had a girl who would weep over his loss and avenge his death should he fail one day.

Cloud would never let that day come. Not so long as he could help it.

He playfully plucked up a strawberry and teased it around her mouth, outlining her lips slowly and sensuously as he toyed with the idea of taking this just a little further.

Then he was reminded of something. The reason he was out here wasn't just to make up for some quality time they had been lacking in for the past few months. There was an issue at hand.

While Rinoa was off helping Squall rehabilitate and become a functioning member of society, Cloud and Tifa had to pick up the slack in their rebellion. Various branches needed to be dealt with and intel defined. All it really meant in the end was they would be exposed to more harm and less time with each other. That must come to an end soon.

His momentary trance allowed Tifa time enough to sneak that strawberry away from his fingers and into her mouth. Finding the dazed look on Cloud's face, she leaned back and tilted her head to share with him a kiss. No matter what modern medicine had to say about it, that always made things feel better.

As he released her lips from his, Cloud found himself enjoyed a strawberry, the same one he had been 'playing' with earlier. A smirk came to his lips as further realization dawned upon him. She knew he was worried. Tifa could always read him like a book.

"We have a problem." Despite all of Tifa's efforts and attempts, Cloud still hadn't learned any subtlety when dealing with normal civilians. The organization taught you to be brief and to the point. It was a hard habit to discard.

With an exasperated sigh Tifa leaned back into the warmth of Cloud's embrace as she closed her eyes to listen to his worries. Cloud always had to be the one looking after anyone. He just couldn't let other people take care of themselves. Helping him release some of that burden was something Tifa had sworn she do. Anything…anything to bring back that fun loving boy she knew so many years ago.

"At this rate Squall is going to abandon his life as a soldier. He has had it too good. He doesn't see the value in that kind of work anymore." His statement was true enough. Despite his quirks, Rinoa's significant other was quite well received by the community and readily fit in. There little shop had even generated quite a tidy profit from lonely women who suddenly realized this was a nice place to shop. For similar reasons, Squall ensured he worked the same nights Rinoa did.

Funny, right around that time the various hospitals in the area had started reporting an increase in bruised and battered male patients age 18+. The police really should get on that, shouldn't they?

Tifa let a mummer pass to let Cloud know she hadn't fallen asleep as he was bearing his worries to her. That much alone was signs of progress. At least Cloud wasn't keeping his emotions bottled in like that organization had taught him. Sometimes she felt Squall had it easy with a chemical to relieve him of that burden.

"He has had too much of the good life. There is still a need for us. There is work to be done." Cloud felt Tifa shift around in his arms so she could look him face to face and planted another kiss upon his lips. She would always reward him for opening up. Always.

"Talk to him Cloud. You were able to see past all of this on your own because you never let yourself depend on anyone back then. Squall…Squall's different. He and Rinoa need us to watch over them." All the strife and worries Squall and Rin were going through were currently the distant memories of Tifa and Cloud. The latter loved the former too much to let them experience the same pains without their expertise to ease the battle within.

"I know. I know what I have to do, but you may not like it. You were never fond of the way I got Squall to see reason. I'm afraid though this time I may have to go at it unrestrained." This indeed could be dangerous. Squall would have to have his talk with Cloud in an area devoid of life. Neither had the strength to live with the memory of having caused collateral damage constantly on their minds.

Tifa again rewarded Cloud with a kiss for bringing her concerns into play. She knew that if she told Cloud to not use such a destructive method for speaking, he would have abandoned his plan. But if she did just that, she wouldn't be the woman Cloud loved.

It was the only way for Squall to see the truth. No matter what he currently thought, Squall was needed. He had to fight.

"No matter what happens, remember I'm here for you Cloud. It will be alright. If we just do our best...in the end things would be alright."

Tifa felt her body glow as she felt Cloud's hold upon her tighten as he pulled his lips to her ear to whisper softly into it. "Did I tell you I love you today?"

A blush rushed up to her cheeks as she suddenly found herself fighting a frog caught up in her throat. It would not be a problem. She could do this. "17 times today already."

She felt her neck being suddenly and quickly nuzzled before she once again felt his breath against her ear. "Let's make it an even twenty."

"I love you, I love you, and I love you."

* * *

Squall approached the empty field with his gunblade in hand as he surveyed the landscape. Before him he could see the target awaiting him. The cocky bastard stood with his sword ready to fight as the wind swirled around his spiky blond hair.

The note that Squall received from Cloud left no doubt in his mind as to just what Cloud wanted to do here. They were supposed to fight, to test their limits and see just how far they could take a battle without killing one another, hopefully.

However Squall refused to play along anymore. He just wanted to go back…go back to where it was safe…go back to where he was welcome…go back to Rin.

The brown haired warrior was about to toss down his gunblade and admit defeat but moments before he was allowed to forfeit out of the match, Cloud had closed the distance between him with his sword coming down in a slashing movement. His eyes had an angry greenish blue glow to them. Cloud wasn't here to play games.

With similar speed, Squall's eyes changed as the pupils melted away into a see of grayish white. He had just enough time to regain his firm hold upon his sword and bring it up to stop the downward slash.

"I don't want to fight you!" To be in a released state such as this and wish not to fight was the ultimate irony for a warrior. In the organization, he would have already been put to death.

"You will fight. You will kill. You will **protect**! You are a soldier. This is what you do." Cloud jumped back with his sword still drawn in an attack stance, ready to lunge forward for another attack.

Amazingly enough the day they had picked to meet had ended up being the outlier in their series of perfect sunny days. A storm was just on the horizon as the wind began picking up and drops of rain started decorating their armor. It was almost like a fated meeting between two who were fighting destiny, but ultimately each other.

"Soldier's….protect?" None of that had imprinted into his mind while he was on their emotion numbing drug. None of that was said during those repetitive speeches he was forced to listen to on a daily basis. As much as he loved the new life he lived, Squall still considered much of what was instilled into his mind there as the truth.. "No! Soldier's kill. Soldier's get killed!"

Cloud summoned a haste spell onto himself and then lunged for an attack at near godlike speed. Squall sensed his new improved mobility and did the same, but the difference in timing allowed him to only block the sword and not what followed.

Cloud had inched his face closer this time to repeat the words that sounded disgusting in his own mind. It had to be said. "Then I will kill you, and make Rin mine." The fact he had already divulged every detail of his plan to Tifa earlier gave him little solace.

With a kick, Cloud sent Squall tumbling backwards but he could still feel the building inferno of emotions that was growing in Squall. Just a little more and maybe he would be able to break that tough exterior of his.

"You're not a soldier. Soldier's protect. Rinoa has no one to protect her then. She's…vulnerable." Cloud hated himself. It was like making dirty advances on your sister. Desperate times called for desperate bluffs.

"You won't hurt her!" Squall regained a vertical base and this time started the assault against cloud. Slash after slash proved only what Cloud knew beforehand. In combat, though their styles differed, they were equally matched.

Both warriors backed off yet again only to run forward to do an upward slash upon each other. The mirror image attack foiled itself and left either only the ability to slash back down leaving the blades to connect and clang against each other. The only way to determine a victor in this match would be to see which of the two could endure longer.

"If I don't. Others will. The organization, will. She is a target. That was the only reason I agreed to have you freed. No one else had the ability or the desire to keep her safe." Cloud could feel the pressure increase against him as his momentary foe began to take the battle more seriously. "Better me than some horny jailor."

Cloud matched the increasing pressure as both were soon sent flying back at the shear power of the situation. The waterfall of rain increased around them as the beads of water that mocked them earlier had turned into a torrential downfall mixed with the unforgiving hail that struck down mercilessly upon them.

All Squall could see now within the visions in his head were flashing images of Rinoa. Everything he had known about her from the day they met in the orphanage to the previous evening when he got to hold her once again in his arms as they slept. Rinoa…his Rin. He would protect her. He had to. It was his job….as a soldier.

The emptiness of Squall's eyes darkened ever so slightly as Cloud's senses picked up on the sudden increase of power. _'He's done it!'_ Unfortunately only Cloud was there to deal with the aftermath. He too had to let go of his restraints.

"Lionheart!"

"Omnislash!"

The two lunged at each other with equal and opposing forces as their knuckles whitened from gripping onto their weapon. The logic of their minds were further buried by the desire to win as they unwillingly became less like people and more like machines. In order to accept who they had now become in society, they had to revert back to the selves they had now abandoned.

Cloud's weapon lacked the additional gun feature on his blade, but the shear mass and length of it counteracted for the explosions when his exceptional speed was added to it as well. The outcome would be close.

And never determined.

When the two soldiers were only moments away form beginning their onslaught onto each other, each were tackled by the side by two raven-haired women with tears streaming from their eyes. Their focus was so keen that they never noticed Rinoa and Tifa 'sneak' up on them.

She couldn't hold it in much longer. Tifa had to tell Rinoa what was going on. Things were going to get out of hand if men alone were left to deal with the situation.

After Tifa had tackled him, Cloud let the sword fly away from his hands as his arms wrapped around her body while the couple were still rolling through the field from the impact. Finally, his eyes had calmed down once more. They slowed down and were covered in mud while little droplets of water trickled down Tifa's hair and face only to splotch against Cloud. He didn't need advanced senses to see that most of those droplets were her tears.

"Are you aright?" Her voice shivered with each word.

"I'm fine."

"Did…did you do it?" A simple nod came from Cloud which was all Tifa needed to let her muscles go loose and collapse upon his body sobbing. She had seen him get to that stage before. It had almost killed him. There was no doubt what potential the combined powers of Squall and Cloud had.

Eventually the two rose to their feet and looked towards the other couple that seemed to be mirroring every moment in their live. Rinoa lay on top of Squall with her legs straddling his sides. She too continued to cry freely. Squall lay immobile beneath her with his eyes open but now lacking that unholy glow. The shock of his situation was still being absorbed.

"You are scum. Worthless trash that society has long forgotten. It is the organization that has found you. We have saved you from your pitiful selves. You're only purpose is to become a bringer a death. You will hold no allegiances. You will have no loyalties. No one else matters to you. Only the organization. Remember who feeds you. Who clothes you. Who provides for you. You are dogs and dogs must obey there masters! Dogs of the military! When we say fight, you fight. When we say kill, you kill. You are soldiers. You have no place in civilized society. You're only place is to be scorned by them for being the rejects you are. Kill our enemies and earn what little honor we have allowed you. And you would gladly die for us because your life no longer has any value. You are ours to do away with as we please. YOU ARE MAN'S INHUMANITY TO MAN! YOU ARE A SOLDIER!" All eyes, including Squall's, darted to Cloud as he gave that little memory. He had suffered through the same lecture through his imprisonment too and had been able to overcome. Squall would not show he was any less of a man than Cloud.

Still trapped beneath Rinoa, his eyes focused upon her as the wind continued to thrash her hair about wildly in the storm. He knew his answers. "I am not trash. I am not pitiful. Rinoa is the one who provides for me, who cares for me. I am not just a dog. I don't kill just to kill. Rinoa is the only one who holds my allegiance, my loyalty…my…love." He continued to speak, despite seeing Rinoa lean lower down upon him.

"I have honor. I have value. My purpose is to be a soldier. My purpose is to protect. My name is Squall. I am a soldier."

Rinoa's lips crashed against Squall's for a passionate yet sloppy kiss. The storm didn't let up and rays of sunshine didn't break through the clouds. There were dark times ahead of the rebellion, but a storm always passes, eventually. As long as there were soldiers in the world to fight for freedom and people there to support them, we will never have to suffer Man's Inhumanity to Man.

_**It Has Always Been the Soldier**_

_It is the Soldier, not the President,_

_Who gives us democracy._

_It is the Soldier, not Congress_

_Who takes care of us._

_It is the soldier, not the reporter, _

_Who preserves the freedom of the press._

_And it is the Soldier, not the poet,_

_Who protects our freedom of speech._

_It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer,_

_Who puts his life on the line_

_To give others the freedom to demonstrate_

_And it is the Soldier_

_Who salutes the Flag,_

_Who serves beneath the Flag,_

_And whose coffin is draped by the Flag,_

_Who protects the protestors right to burn the Flag._

Father Denis O'Brian.

United States Marine Corp.

* * *

I hope you guys enjoyed that poem at the end. It had a lot of meaning for me so i certainly hope you enjoyed reading it. Thanks for reading and reviewing guys and i hope to have a sequel available for your enjoyment soon. I will try my best.

Remember to check out my other works and series!

Until next time, take care:-)


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